How To Avoid An Illegal U-Turn Ticket
By James Baxter, NMA President
The political theory is that traffic laws should be fairly uniform, make sense to the average person, and the difference between legal and illegal behavior should be obvious. That’s the political theory, reality is a whole different story. No traffic law better displays the disconnect between this political theory and reality then the officially described “U-turn.”
The statutory definition usually makes reference to a vehicle turning in a manner that it reverses its direction of travel.
Fair enough, but what makes one of these turns legal or illegal?
It all depends where you are when you make that U-turn. While most states have some kind of legal structure that differentiates between legal and illegal U-turns, the game doesn’t end there. The states also allow local governments to further define what is legal and what is not.
So, the state may allow a mid-block U-turn, but the Town of Prongville, population 879, can have an ordinance that says mid-block U-turns are illegal.
How does the average motorist know what rule applies?
He doesn’t, not unless a prominent sign is posted explaining the more stringent local ordinance. Often, no such sign exists, prominent or not. There is no one universal code of conduct that can keep you out of harms way when it comes to implementing a U-turn.
However, if you abide by the following rules your chances of being rousted for the hideous crime of “making an illegal U-turn” will be greatly reduced.
- Do not make a U-turn at an intersection with a traffic signal.
- Do not make a U-turn in the middle of the block in urban/residential areas.
- Do not make a U-turn where there is a sign prohibiting U-turns.
- Do not make a U-turn where visibility is limited by a curve or hill crest.
- Do not make a U-turn if there is a police officer anywhere in sight, this is like waving a red cape at a wounded bull, regardless of legality.
This leaves uncontrolled intersections, open rural roads with good visibility, divided roadways with dedicated breaks in the divider, and locations where U-turns are expressly permitted by official signs as your least risky U-Turn opportunities.
If you need 100 percent assurance that you are legal, go around the block and re-enter the street that you want to reverse course on.
Yes, I know the blocks are quite large in West Texas and Eastern Montana.
For more official information on U-turns try this link from the Transportation Research Board: http://www.trb.org/news/blurb_detail.asp?id=8731
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I was at an intersection leaving a school. There was a sign posted that said no left turn. I turned right then made a legal u- turn and was pulled over for an illegal left turn. My contention is I did not make a left turn but rather a u-turn, legally. My court date is 29 Apr 2010 in Santa Clara California. What aremy chances of a fair hearing/trial?
Tarrytown, NY…….I was in both a residential/commercial street. Pizzeria at one corner, small stores on both sides, some residential buildings as well. It’s a two way street, no cars approaching me on either side, so I made a u-turn. As I’m making the u-turn, from the corner of my eye I see a cop car driving behind other cars moving slowly from a “STOP” sign on my opposite side (where I ended up after the u-turn). I felt the u-turn I made was a safe one since no cars were visibly around, but the cop must have seen the tip of my turn and stopped me once he passed his STOP sign. I figured he stopped me because of it, but I had not obstructed anything or anyone. He never told me why he stopped me, just asked for my information. Though he was a very nice officer, there were no words exchanged at first. When he got back to my car, he had the ticket in hand and just handed it to me. I never got a chance to ask any questions before handing me the ticket. So I told him that I wasn’t obstructing anyones path. He said there were signs on both sides of the street “no U-Turn”. I told him I never saw any signs. How small were these signs???? Stupid me, I should have gone back to check, but was in the midst of working on my route and had to get out of there. A parking ticket a year for me is rare, but a U-Turn ticket was a new one. Yes I’m disappointed in myself for not looking for those so called signs, but now I’m wondering how much will this ticket cost me? Does anyone know?????
I made a “u turn” into the driveway of a business that was closed and still got a ticket – when I sent in the trial by mail forms and my pics of the location and my diagram they still found me guilty. I at no point used the street for any part of the turn – what gives???? This is Pasadena CA
Erika it sounded like the policeman acted exaclty like he should have. Parking lots are for people that are shopping or working at stores or businesses. The policemen should have warned the person not to be using the parking lot as a public street. If people like that do this daily then they should get tickets but in this case when the person only did it once a warning was the right thing to do. I think the law was probably put into place because there are places where driving through a parking lot is a shortcut for many people to get where they are going. Parking lots were not designed to be through streets.
My friend left to go pick up her son from school, and since we live in CA, there are medians prohibiting a left turn.
So she went down the street and proceeded to use a parking lot to turn around and a motorcycle cop pulled her over.
He told her it was illegal to use a parking lot for a U-turn… but isn’t that private property? Could he have enforced that?
She didn’t get a ticket… but I’m massively confused since I have normally use that same parking lot for that purpose.
Back in the 1980s when I lived in Cincinnati, an attorney was ticketed by the local police for making a U-turn. As it turned out, that U-turn was legal and the ticket was dismissed in court. This just shows the cops don’t even know the laws in their own community.
Yes, you are allowed to make a U-Turn in Tennessee, as long as you do so in a safe manner. However, in Mount Juliet, just east of Nashville, there is a “hidden law” that bans all U-Turns. Recently, I was stuck in a massive traffic jam on the main thoroughfare through town, and my air conditioning had died, leaving me stuck in a stifling car on a 95 degree day (I’m sure it was much hotter in my car). I waited patiently until all traffic from the opposite direction had passed (there were no oncoming cars within 200-250 yards), checked my rear view mirror, signalled, and made a U-Turn. A few moments later, I got pulled over by an officer who told me that all U-Turns are illegal in Mount Juliet, and gave me a ticket for nearly $200. No signs anywhere indicate that this is the case, nor could I find any evidence of this law in extensive online searches. To add insult to injury, the officer told me that if I take a defensive driving course, the ticket won’t hurt my insurance rates. The only defensive driving courses around are offered by the State of Tennessee, where U-Turns are legal, thus negating any supposed “benefit” of taking such a course.
Coming out of Porter Ranch mall, right turn only. Did that and am heading west. First opening on the left has a large red-circled sign do not enter. Next opening no such sign. I turned left into the divided grass- filled area which held my car competely so I was not delaying traffic going west (there wasn’t any at this time)and waited until 6 cars heading east passed by and then I made the 2nd left turn to the other side. A motorcycle policeman stopped me and explained no “u-turn” is allowed in a business area. Yes, he saw me wait patiently for eastbound traffic before turning again and he ‘respected’ me for that. Anyway, no warning but a ticket. When I travelled in the same area heading only east, every opening (3) in the divider had the large red-circled slashed ‘do not enter.’Too bad for me there was no such sign where I turned and I should have known no “u-turns” are allowed.
Another simple solution is to pull into a parking lot and then pull out in the direction you want to go….
I’d like to mention that turn signals are mainly used to warn other drivers of your intentions; not necessarily to avoid a ticket.
Here in CA, the decision in many cases has already been made for you. “Traffic calming,” that expensive and useless practice of erecting elaborate concrete medians in the middle of divided boulevards, requires you to proceed to the next light for any left or U turn (and more often than not, the next light is signed “No U Turn,” as well. Very aggravating. I often wonder if the drones that design these schemes ever actually have to drive in the areas they “calm.”
apprently, in tennessee, you can make a u-turn anywhere you like. no turn signal necessary(although, i do believe the turn signal is a dealership option that costs more than air conditioning in this area).
U turns on a divided roadway i.e. raised or painted center median is prohibited anywhere in NYC as per NYC Traffic rules.
Beth,
Why make an illegal U-turn? Just wait ’till you get to the useless overpass where it’s legal.
To all you non-Huntsville residents, sorry for the inside joke. She knows EXACTLY which overpass I’m referring to. (We’ve got an overpass, inbetween two overpasses less than 1/2 mile from each other, that exists simply in case…)
If you live in Huntsville, Alabama, U-turns are a part of your everyday life, that’s the parkway for you.